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What purpose does an Armstrong bracket serve? I have seen them on some 80's Outrage and the like,
but not on newer Whalers. Would it be a good thing to have on a boat that I have interest in buying?
Thanks!
There is an article in Continous Wave about brackets. They are mounted on the transom of the hull and the motor mounts to these rather than the hull itself. Armstrong is a brand name such as whaler drive, gil bracket etc. Some are molded to the hull. Early versions were called omc seadrive.
advantages
The prop runs in cleaner less turbolent water, engine raised higher, bow lift better by weight aft, operation in reverse better, underwater drag reduced. place to mount underwater lights and boarding ladder.
Price? can be $1000-$4000 depending on options or 1 or 2 engines. Flat transom boats with brackets have no well cutout to let in sea water aft so freeboard is higher.
This is an Armstron Bracket, I have one on my Parker. Wrangler is dead on with his description. They work great if they are istalled correctly.
If you are buying a used boat, I would make sure the boat was designed for a bracket, if not make sure it was installed correctly. They actually take away performance if not set up right.
Also look at the condition of the bracket, most are aluminum. It is very important that copper based anti fouling paints have been kept away from the aluminum. If they is alot of corosion on it, it may be deeper than you think. I always make sure to take care of any coorosion before it get sto large. I also keep the copper based paints about 2" away from it.
